Cape and Gencor Pay Compensation to Asbestos Disease Victims
Published by MAC on 2003-06-27
Cape and Gencor Pay Compensation to Asbestos Disease Victims
Press Release - John Pickering & Co. Solicitors
27th June 03
On Friday 27th June 2002 the High Court in London approved the settlement of the action brought by 7300 South African asbestos miners and residents against Cape plc and Gencor. Immediately after the settlement was approved, Cape plc paid the agreed compensation and costs. Gencor had already paid its share of the compensation and costs. The settlement is worth £10.67 million in compensation to the victims at current exchange rates. The money has come from Cape plc, which mined asbestos between 1893 and 1979, and a South African company called Gencor, whose subsidiary Gefco took over asbestos mines after Cape pulled out of South Africa in 1979 and operated the largest mine at Penge until 1992.
Arrangements are being made to transfer this money into bank accounts for the victims as soon as possible. The clients have the whole range of asbestos related lung diseases: mesothelioma, lung cancer caused by asbestos, interstitial asbestosis, and asbestos related pleural disease. These are not just industrial diseases. Many victims have died of mesothelioma as a result of environmental pollution. The environmental pollution was so bad that some victims developed interstitial asbestosis, without ever having worked with asbestos. This is unknown in Britain and Europe. Many clients have died during the 4 years the action has taken, and their estates or dependants will benefit from this settlement. John Pickering and Partners represented 2240 of the group of 7300 victims involved in this action.
Anthony Coombs
John Pickering & Partners